Oktobur

WARNING: PHOTO OVERLOAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

WARNING #2: PICTURES OF EMMA OVERLOAD. (we do not recommend that you view this post if you get sick of seeing the same person/child/face more than 100 times in one sitting. If you find yourself getting bored or can no longer look at the computer please stop immediately and contact a physician or poison control.)

what?

ok here we go.

Emma loves her toothbrush!

And getting into my wallet and taking everything out

Bubble bath! - love those buns :)

Emma requested Jell-O for breakfast one morning and I couldn't say no....

haha! cute, Emma

I can't sweep the floor without this little helper, although of course if I actually really want the floor swept I have to do it when she's asleep or otherwise occupied... :)

OCT 7-8th: CAMPOUT with the Perkinsons!

Happiest little camper in the world :) Thomas is like a kid in a candy store with that chain saw

We love camping, its one of our favorite family activities and it was even more fun with our friends Spencer and Taylor!

Photoshoot with Emma, trying to do fish faces
She fell asleep right after, I guess taking a million pictures while lying on the bed can wear you out

Emma is IN LOVE with Finding Nemo the disney movie. We got her a stuffed Nemo animal and she loves it.

She always gives him kisses. She affectionately calls him "meemo" (can't quite say the 'n')

I found this little disaster after I turned my back on Emma for two minutes...

gotta love being a mom :) so many fun messes to clean up

Pumpkin Patch time with Porter!

Emma had fun wandering through all the pumpkins, the hayride, and being in the petting zoo, even though she wouldn't even attempt to touch any of the animals

We finally got grass in the backyard! Thomas worked hard prepping, laying down the sod, and planting some plants around the yard. It looks amazing compared to the ugly patch of dirt it was before. Now Emma has a yard to play in!

Halloween was so much fun. I made Emma's costume and I think it turned out super cute! She was Pebbles from the Flinstones (not to be confused with Bam Bam. he's a boy. not a girl.)

Emma's latest obsession: necklaces.

Necklaces, necklaces, and more necklaces.

She seriously can't get enough of these necklaces.

She plays with them for HOURS. yes, HOURS.

She puts them on her neck, takes them off, puts them in her purse or stroller, moves them to a different part of the house, and puts them back on...one by one. And then does it all again. It is TOO CUTE! (hence the millions of pictures).

Nelson Family Update:

1. Thomas has his finals this week (pray for him to do well!)

2. I started working from home part-time and Thomas has been such a good sport putting up with the messy house and last minute dinners.

3. Emma turned 18 months and that means...........nursery! She hasn't been doing so hot but we expected that...hopefully the screaming and crying won't last too long.....

4. I got called to serve in Young Women's as a Beehive advisor and I'm really excited. The girls are so cute and I feel like I'm buddies with them already. (Plus, now we have babysitters!)

5. Thanksgiving is just around the corner!! Thomas gets the whole week off and we are headed up to St. George for the festivities.

6. The weather has finally cooled off and we are loving it :)

7. Not sure if this is worth mentioning... aw what the heck. Breaking Dawn Part 1 comes out on Friday! (hehe) I'll admit, I'm a tiny bit excited....and Thomas even agreed to see it with me! WOOHOO! date night, yes.

Coloring

Emma loves to color! I got her this giant coloring book a few days ago and she has asked me to color everyday, like 3 times a day. SO cute. She's learned that crayons are not supposed to go in your mouth but every once in a while I'll catch her with one in there and she'll look at me and say "yucky". That's right Emma, yucky.

I kinda forgot how much I like coloring. I know what you're thinking, 'Jacey, coloring is for toddlers, how old are you?' But I actually enjoy it! Haha! Sitting and coloring with Emma reminded me of when my mom used to color with me when I was little and how I thought she was so amazing, and I would think, 'how does she stay in the lines so good??'

That started me thinking about how great my mom is. She always made time to sit with us and do whatever. She would stop right in the middle of her crazy day just to spend a few moments with us, and play or sing or color or twirl or do handstands or read. I hope I can be like that for all of my kids. :)

Happy Coloring!!

Charlotte

About three weeks ago we moved into our very first house!! We have lived at Thomas' parents house the past 8 months and couldn't have been more grateful for their hospitality and willingness to let us invade their space! As much as we loved living there, we were so excited when we found this house in southeast Mesa and even more excited when our offer got accepted! It is the perfect size for our little family (3 bedroom, 2 bath) and we expect to be here for the next few years. Thomas conveniently had a three week break from school that started the week we signed on the house and so moving and unpacking and organizing took no time at all with all of his help! The first night we moved in, we put Emma down to bed, and Thomas and I just sat on the couch with huge grins on our faces. It was kind of an indescribable feeling, knowing that we had our own little house, all to ourselves, and trying not to think too much about all the responsibility that comes with it...we could save that for another day :). Now that we've been in here for about three weeks I am loving it. I feel like Charlotte Lucas in 'Pride and Prejudice' (the Keira Knightly version) when she says, "Oh Lizzy, it is such a pleasure to run my own home" :)

Here's what we've been up to prior to, and since moving, starting with the end of July:

Swimming with the Nelsons

Arizona Museum of Natural History with friends,

Aunt Paige staying with us for the weekend,

Emma growing up way too fast,

More swimming, only half naked this time :),

Camping up on the rim (Emma did super awesome = happy parents = more camping trips in the future)

Celebrated three birthdays in August: Grandpa Kody (sorry no pics), Uncle Tanner, and Thomas,
And going to a Cardinal's game!

Thomas started school again this week so now it's time for me to start on all my decorating projects! I'm so excited, can't wait :)

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!!


p.s. I'm trying to figure out what to do for Emma's Halloween costume (I know what you're thinking... it's WAY to early to be thinking about Halloween... BUT, I'd like to make her costume by hand and the chances of me having to re-do it a few times are really good...SO I want to start soon!)

Any suggestions ??